Cotton-press



(NoModeL) B. H. TYSON Cotton Press.

N0. 230,449. Patented July 27,1880.

NJETERS. PHOTO-LITHCIGHAPHEJL WASHINGTON, D, C

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN H. TYSON, OF WILSON, NORTH CAROLINA.

COTTON-PRESS. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,449, dated July 2'7, 1880,

I Application filed May 31,1880. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. TYsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilson, in the county of Wilson and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to presses for pressing cotton, hay, straw, and other similar substances into bales, it being designed as an improvement upon a press patented to Wiley J. Butts on the 22d of April, 1879, No. 214,619; and the object of my improvement is to provide a horizontally moving and tilting press-box, arranged to move upon bearings formed in or upon its supports, said horizontal movement being independent of the movement imparted by the screw, and to combine the same with a stationary platen and with mechanism for. moving the box in such a manner that when it is desirable to fill it with material to be pressed it can readily be changed from a horizontal to a vertical position, and from such vertical to a horizontal position when the pressure is to be applied. I attain this object by the combination of devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which shows an elevation of a press, showing a carriage which carries the press-box, a screw for moving it, gearing for driving said screw, mechanism for changing the rotation thereof, and frame-work for holding the parts in position, the tilting press-box being shown in its vertical position in full lines and in its horizontal position in dotted lines, the different parts being designated by letters.

I am aware that it is not novel to combine a horizontally-moving press-box and mechanism for moving the same with a'stationary platen, such acombination being shown in the patent above referred to. I am also aware that a tilting press-box, as an independentdevice, is not novel; and, further, that a tilting press-box has been combined with a stationary platen'and a screw for moving the box, said screw being placed at a right angle to the line of motion of the box, such an arrangement of parts being shown in the patent of T. D.

ever been combined with a stationary platen.

and a compressing-screw placed in line with the movements of the press-box; and hence I regard myself as the inventor of the combination herein described and claimed.

In packing and pressing cotton it is of great importance that the pressure shall be so applied as to press the layers thereof that are placed in the box in the direction of their thickness as distinguished from the direction of their length or width, as when the force is applied in the direction of their length, as in the patent of W. J. Butts above referred to, it tends to separate the layers rather than to compact them, and makes the layersliable to open at their ends when removed from the press, thus causing them to' be larger at their ends than at their centers; and, more than that, it leaves the bale in such a condition that it is easily parted at its center, and thus unfit for handling and shipment.

The combination and arrangement of devices herein described obviates all of the above-recited objections by providing a ready means of inserting the layers of cotton one upon the other and then pressing them into intimate contact with each other, thus causing the fibers of the entire mass to adhere to each other and leave the bale of the same size throughout its entire length.

In providing mechanism for effecting the above-described result there is formed a frame, A, of wood or metal, or partly of wood and partly of metal, at one end of which there are placed vertical posts or columns A A, in the upper ends of which there is journaled a shaft, B,-upon the outer end of which a crank, B, may be applied for the purpose of moving the press box by hand when desirable. Upon some portion of shaft B there is placed a pinion, B and on the same shaft there are placed two pulleys, B and B, the one, B being of greater diameter than the other, it being the one over or around which the belt passes for turning the screw in the direction required for pressing the bale, the smaller one being used for returning the press-box to the position shown after it has been moved in the direction required for pressing the material. These p ulleys may be supplied with belts passing over a drum or pulleys driven by horse-power, a steam-engine, or any other prime mover, they being so constructed and arranged as to give a comparatively slow movement to the screw when pressure is being applied and a comparatively quick movement when the box is being returned to the position shown.

Upon the inner surfaces of the pulleys B B there are formed clutches, and upon the shaft B, between them, thereis a sliding sleeve, B upon the ends of which are clutches, which, when it is desirable to change the rotation of the screw. are made to mesh with one or the other of those on the pulleys, according to the direction which the box is to be moved.

In one of the posts A of the frame there is journaled a screw, 0, the opposite end of which .block, 0, attached thereto.

lies between the arms C 0 which support the stationary platen C the opposite ends of said arms being secured to the posts A, or to a This arrangement of the screw with reference to the tilting press-box enables it to apply the force directly to the substance to be pressed, and without the intervention of any intermediate levers or other mechanism, and also provides for a more rapid movement of the box than can be obtained when such levers are used.

For carrying the press-box there is provided a traveling frame, D, which may be constructed as shown, or in any other form that will enable it to support and carry the press-box. In the bar D of the frame D there is placed a nut, through which the screw (l passes and gives to said frame and to the press-box the horizontal movement. For the purpose of facilitating the movements of said frame and box, the former is supplied with wheels or rollers, as shown at D To the central portion of the frame D the tilting press-box Eis pivoted, as shown at E, its arrangement being such that when it is to be filled with material to be pressed it can be placed in the position shown in full lines in the drawing, and so that it can be turned into the horizontal position shown in dotted lines whenthe pressure is to be applied. This box is supplied with doors near its outer end upon its sides, for the removal of the bale after it has been pressed to the required extent. it being secured from expansion by means of wires or cords passed around it, there being formed in the platen and in the head of the box grooves for the passage of said wires or cords.

For the purpose of preventing strain upon the pivotal points of the box when the pressure is being applied, there is formed in the frame of said box a slot, E so that it may have a slight horizontal movement independent'of the frame by which it is carried, and so that when the pressure is being applied the same may be wholly resisted by the removable cross-pieces E E, which rest in recesses formed in the posts of the frame 1).

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The press-box E, arranged to move horizontally upon bearings formed in its supports, said horizontal movement being independent of the motion imparted to it by the screw or other moving mechanism.

2. The combination, in a press for pressing cotton, hay, and other substances, of a tilting and horizontally-moving press-box, having an independent horizontal movement aside from that given by the screw, into which the material to be pressed is placed, a stationary platen, a screw for giving the horizontal movement to the box, said screw being in line with the movements of said box, and mechanism for revolving the screw, the parts being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN H. TYSON.

Witnesses:

(J. M. (JoNNELL, NEWTON CRAWFORD. 

